83 Epilogue

The sound of the compressed oxygen escaping, his heavy breath against the ventilator, and the annoying crying of an alarm buzzed on his ears.

All of it sounded like coming from a nightmare.

**And yet, there is nothing I can do about it.**

He repressed the urge to puke and endured the many sensations that told him that his head was going to explode, and that his muscles were burning hot. An electronic voice said his passenger number and name out loud, and asked if it was okay to administer an adrenaline dose. He grunted a quick "yes".

Once the liquid entered his system, his senses came back and his body demanded to get out of there fast, but he took the time to examine his body.

**Before entering here, my body was in an excellent condition, but now…**

He observed his built arms, his iron-like abdomen and thick legs. He closed his fists, imagining himself breaking someone else's neck with ease.

**Even though my Vitality is low Silver, I feel powerful. So these pods are releasing something into our bodies while sleeping.**

He glanced at the thousands of cryopods besides his and ignored the electronic voice telling him to hurry. He took his clothes and dressed calmly. A black turtleneck sweater, gray formal pants and black leather shoes. He followed the drone by strolling and entered the elevator after exhaling.

**How ironic.**

While on his way to his designated room, he did not ask questions nor addressed the drone. Only after the door closed and a timer appeared on a wall screen, he sighed. "What a joke."

He pulled out a hidden pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the interior side of his sweater and released smoke in the screen's direction, where the Caelum Enterprise's logo appeared.

Another electronic, smooth feminine voice, said his ID number and full name while he puffed.

**So this is what karma tastes like… or would, if I actually believed in it.**

The AI's voice explained the situation in a polite and calm tone, using words that expressed urgency. He only snickered.

"Are you listening to what I'm saying, Detective?" Isabella asked. "You've been quite calm since you awoke."

"Detective… I never thought I'd be called that again while boarding this ship," he extinguished his cigarette against the white, pristine table behind him.

**First of all, let's analyze the obvious. How can I be sure that this machine didn't kill the ship's crew? By reviewing the security video logs? This thing could have manipulated them with ease. **

**But, if it was really the culprit and released The Singular into The Novus intentionally, why would it even bother to fix the issue? No one inside the system would know that we were getting attacked.**

"If The Singular entered through a Cryopod," he began, "that means the system 'believes' it's a regular User, correct?"

"Yes, I have already tested it. It is possible."

"I suppose those cryopods were not empty, so the malign AI is 'sharing rooms' with the User's mind."

"That is the reason I have summoned you. I need you to return to the system, and find these 'infected' users."

He looked away. **This thing doesn't even know where to start looking. For the moment, it seems there's no contradictions in its version of the story. For now. **

"This is an AI we're talking about. What's the possibility of it duplicating itself and entering through more than one pod?"

"High. I have run simulations, calculating its estimated data size and the period of time The Singular messed with the power line. There is a 97.5 % chance that it created as much as five copies of itself."

**Finding five people out of 100,000? You're asking too much, tin can. I bet that I'm not the only one assigned for the task, excluding that idiot. **

"Before we continue, I would like to let you know that I'm already in a prominent position inside the System, so accepting this quest will surely slow down my progress."

"It goes without saying that I will compensate you for your time, Detective. Your final Credit Balance will receive a considerable bonus--"

"I also want to be the first to choose from the ship's armory when the time comes. If you could provide me with an inventory list, right now, that would motivate me immensely to start working."

"I'm sorry. But I'm afraid that--"

"You surely reviewed my profile, lady, so you already know what you're getting with me. My services have never been cheap, and I assure you that thanks to my current position inside the Novus' socialite, I'll do a better damn job than your other lackey, Alan Warden."

"Has he talked to you about the situation?"

"No. But the fact that I got the info out of him that easily is just another example of my value."

After a couple of seconds, the screen flashed and a file appeared, ready to be opened. "This is the list of available assets in the Santa María's armory. Accomplish this task, and you'll be first in line, I promise."

The young man smirked. "See? I'm already feeling motivated to find these evildoers."

"Do we have a deal then, Detective Souza?"

Marco stared at the camera above the screen, showing a gleam in his eyes. "I'll do my best, as always."